


Broken, but fixable

by lost_in_a_sea_of_fandoms



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, From the Vulture, Gen, How did I write this, Hurt Peter Parker, Nightmares, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter has PTSD, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Sad Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Whump, Whumptober 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 04:38:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16256822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_in_a_sea_of_fandoms/pseuds/lost_in_a_sea_of_fandoms
Summary: Peter has been cracking and breaking for months. Thankfully, someone comes along to pick up the pieces.





	Broken, but fixable

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ssssssssssssssssssspiderboi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssssssssssssssssssspiderboi/gifts).



> The prompts this was inspired by are bruises and stranded.  
> This is for Sam [samuel_I_amuel] because I couldn't have written this without their support! Thank you so much Sam!  
> Hope you enjoy it!

Of course Mr. Stark didn't mean to ignore him. He was a busy man, in addition to running Stark Industries, he was currently trying to get pardons for the Rogue Avengers. Of course he didn't have time to deal with some underage, sub-par superhero. It wasn't personal.  
That's what Peter tried to tell himself. Fall had passed easily into winter, and spring was right around the corner. 5 months had passed since either Mr. Stark or Happy had contacted him, and Peter's optimistic attitude was beginning to fail.   
It wasn't just this specific problem, though. Although he hid it well, and would never admit it, the events of Homecoming night haunted him. While he was in his Spider-man suit, he was unstoppable.   
Peter Parker, however, was a different matter. Thanks to his Spidey senses, he could feel the shifting vibrations of every taller building, and he couldn't stop the images flashing before his eyes.   
Dust. Fear. The ground rumbling beneath his feet. Pain all over, but mostly in his leg, his ribs. The bitterness of blood combining with the acridity of smoke and concrete dust. Then, blackness.  
He hasn't taken an elevator in months. The suffocating claustrophobia is too much to bear. He can't remember the last time he's slept through the night. The few rare nightmares in the past have been replaced by a constant barrage of terror.  
The Vulture's metal wings slashing through the pillars. Clinging on to the plane, watching the ground, hundred of feet below. Mr. Stark's disappointed face. Even worse, angry Mr. Stark, coming out of the Vulture's suit. The words "If you're nothing without the the suit, you shouldn't have it."  
Peter doesn't really want to sleep anymore. It doesn't bring him any rest. Just shallow, gasping breaths and a mouth full of blood. Biting his tongue to keep from screaming has become an unconscious action. He doesn't want to wake up Aunt May.

Peter is ignoring the fact that he was slowly, but surely, breaking. He gets a job. He goes to school in the mornings, patrols in the afternoon, and works a night shift. It wasn't like he'd get much sleep, anyway. He's thin, but then again, he'd always been thin.  
Two more months have passed, and Peter can't bring himself to patrol as much anymore. Even the public's interest in Spider-Man seems to have died down. Patrol is more of an every-now-and-then thing. He doesn't have the strength anymore. He's become an expert at using his aunt's concealer to cover up the dark circles under his eyes. It's sort of worth it. His aunt doesn't have to work double shifts anymore, but more importantly, by the time Peter goes to bed each night, his mind is far too exhausted to create new terrors for him. He only sleeps a few hours, but it's an uninterrupted sleep. No screaming, no taste of blood in his mouth. Just the bruises from patrol that never fully seem to heal anymore. A quiet reminder of his own weakness.

xxx

Tony hasn't meant to ignore the kid. At the beginning, he was truly busy. But after a while, he realized that he WAS, in fact, avoiding Peter.There was a good reason for it, he tries to tell himself. Tony can't be a mentor to this kid, because Tony was just like his father. This was his bullshit philosophy, and he was sticking to it.  
And stick to it he did. Until one day, Happy walks into the lab, looking worried. That is a bad sign. Happy isn't a worrier. Ever. When Tony asks him what's going on, Happy simply replies "There's something you need to see, boss." Using the holographic screens in one corner of the room, the head of security pulls up a number of graphs and videos. Tony recognizes most of the graphs - they're functions of protocols he built into Peter's Training Wheel protocol. Tony's heart drops as he examines the numbers. Peter hasn't gotten more than 3 hours of sleep in 6 months. His body weight is trending downward, and he is only rarely getting enough calories for his enhanced metabolism. The worst thing is very familiar to Tony. He looks over the heart rate monitor, grimacing as he sees the spikes. Friday has marked them as "panic attacks" but Tony already knows that. The line tracing Peter's heart rate is eerily similar to Tony's own. Tony made a quick decision. Turning to Happy, he said: “Pick up the kid from school tomorrow.” He was expecting Peter to arrive with Happy, excited and bubbly as usual. What he was not expecting, however, was for Happy to return alone. “What the hell?” Tony couldn’t stop himself from asking. “Peter came out of the school, looked at me, then turned around and walked away.” Happy responded, looking very troubled. Tony decides then and there that he has to go see the kid himself.  
He found Peter’s work schedule, and the next day, he takes one of his more normal looking cars, and goes to May and Peter’s place. As an extra precaution, he parks several blocks away. If Peter is avoiding him, which Tony was pretty sure he is, a single hint of Tony’s presence will be enough to drive him away. May opens the door with a guarded expression. She had never been crazy about Tony. After she lets him in, she asks whether he has reconsidered. Tony gives a non-committal response, not quite sure what she means. She promptly explains that since Peter had lost the internship, he “has not been himself anymore. He seems to have lost his joie de vivre” she says. Tony can clearly see that she is worried about Peter.   
After a few minutes of small talk, he excuses himself and goes to wait for Peter in his room. He hears the boy come in, greeting his aunt as he heads to his room. If he is surprised to see Tony, he doesn’t show it. Instead he turns, heading to the closet before pulling out a neatly wrapped package. Handing it to Tony, he says: “I’m guessing you’re here for this. It served me well, but New York doesn’t need Spider-man anymore.” Tony is shocked into silence, so Peter almost gets to the door before Tony can stop him. “Pete, wait.” he says. “This isn’t easy for me, so I need you to listen. I’m really sorry about ignoring you these past few months. I did it because…, well, mostly because I’m an idiot. But also because I was scared. My father was not a nice person. He wasn’t nice to anyone. Especially not to his son. I was very scared that I’d be like him. I didn’t want you to get too close, because I was afraid I’d hurt you.” Tony stares at the ground for a moment before looking up at Peter. The boy is staring at him, wide eyed. Tony glances from Peter to the desk chair across from him and Peter, stumbling slightly, obeys his silent request. “What happened on Homecoming night that you haven’t told me about, Pete?” Tony asks, voice gentle. He doesn’t miss the way Peter seems to fold into himself at the question, hunching his shoulders and refusing to look Tony in the eye.   
After a moment, though, he begins to speak. “The Vulture, he… he was the father of my Homecoming date. He threatened me with a gun. I followed him to a warehouse. He stored his wings there. He made the wings fly around. I… I thought he was attacking me, but he was actually knocking down the support pillars. He flew away, but I didn’t get out in time.” Peter’s voice cracked and he fell silent for a minute. Tony could tell exactly where this was headed, and his heart was pounding in his chest. Peter composes himself, then continues. “The building, it fell on me. I passed out, I think it broke my leg. I tried calling for help, but nobody heard me. I…I almost gave up. Then I thought about what you had said after the ferry incident.” Tony winces at this, he’s regretted that conversation many times. “I realized that the suit didn’t make me Spider-man, and I got the building off of me.” Tony is shocked. The 15 year old across from him lifted several tons of rubble off of himself. But Peter is continuing. “I know it’s stupid, but I’ve had nightmares since then. I’m claustrophobic, and I hate being in tall buildings, because I can feel them moving…” Peter stuttered to a halt when Tony stood up. “It’s stupid, I know, I’m sorry I’m so weak…”   
Tony stares at the kid across from him. The kid that didn’t deserve any of this. He was 15, he shouldn’t be dealing with the PTSD, the nightmares. And definitely not alone.   
Peter is still watching Tony, looking quite frightened. He even draws back a little as Tony rushes suddenly across the room. He isn’t expecting to be wrapped up tightly in the man’s arms. Peter stiffens for a second before all the tension drains out of him. After a moment, Tony feels hot tears begin to seep into his shirt. Whispering into the boy’s ear, he says: “You are not weak, Pete. In fact you are one of the strongest kids I know. We will get through this, I promise. I’m so sorry I abandoned you for so long and you had to deal with this alone. I’ll never do it again, I promise.”  
And for the first time in 8 months, Peter feels really, truly, safe.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for your support and for sticking with me! I hope you liked this fic. It almost wrote itself.  
> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated. They tell me, whether my fic is actually readable.


End file.
